Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F17/00—First-aid kits

Definitions

• the present invention relates to first-aid kits.
• First-aid kits are very useful for treating injuries and the like, where the injury is relatively small and would not warrant a trip to a hospital, or where the injury is larger but would benefit from treatment quickly, (i.e. before the patient would be able to receive care from a doctor, a paramedic or the like).
• the first- aid is carried out by a person with little or no medical training.
• these kits may or may not be provided with instructions for use in carrying out the first-aid.
• the invention is directed to a first-aid kit, comprising a backing member, a set of step by step instructions arranged on the backing member, and a plurality of first-aid items, wherein each first-aid item is positioned in association with at least one of the instructions and relates to the at least one of the instructions.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first-aid kit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
• Figures 2a-2c are plan views of portions of a backing member with instructions and first-aid items thereon, that forms part of the first-aid kit shown in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the backing member, with the instructions and first-aid items arranged differently than those arranged in Figure 2a-2c.
• kits of the prior art include instructions on how to use the various first-aid items included in the kit, however, use of such kits is still prone to error for several reasons.
• a kit may include instructions and a number of first- aid items (multiple types of ointment, gauze, tape, etc).
• first- aid items multiple types of ointment, gauze, tape, etc.
• the user To use such a kit, the user must open the kit, find the instructions from amongst the first-aid items in the kit, read the instructions, and for each step of the instructions they must find the related element or elements from the kit, and then carry out that step.
• the elevated stress level that may be present in the person providing the first-aid there is an increased likelihood that the person will grab and use the wrong element from the first- aid kit (e.g.
• the wrong ointment, the wrong drug and could apply that wrong element to the injured person, with potentially harmful results.
• the elevated stress level in the person providing the first-aid can make them less able to carry out certain tasks quickly, such as to find something from amongst a group of things. Such errors occur periodically in high-stress environments such as an operating theatre where medical professionals sometimes pull the wrong drug from a drug storage cabinet and administer it to a patient in response to a sudden development during an operation.
• FIG. 1 shows a first-aid kit 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• the first-aid kit 10 is configured to permit a person to carry out a first-aid procedure with multiple steps with a reduced likelihood of error relative to the likelihood of error that would be associated with certain prior art first-aid kits.
• the first-aid kit 10 includes a backing member 12, a set of step by step instructions, shown at 14, arranged on the backing member 12, and a plurality of first-aid items 16, all of which can be folded into a container 18 (shown in Figure 1).
• Each first-aid item 16 is positioned in association with at least one of the instructions 14 and relates to the at least one of the instructions 14.
• the backing member 12 may be a flexible sheet of material (e.g. cloth material or plastic material) and may be foldable to a storage position ( Figure 1) and openable to a use position ( Figures 2a-2c).
• the backing member 12 could alternatively be made up of a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid members that are hingedly connected together at selected locations to permit them to fold to a storage position and open to a use position.
• the backing member 12 is shown as a sheet of material in the figures, it may alternatively be configured as a frame or other open structure. Such a structure may, for example, be made up of connecting members, such as rods, that are connected to each other.
• the first-aid kit 10 is configured for the treatment of a person who is bleeding.
• the first-aid kit 10 may be configured for the treatment of burns, loss of consciousness, broken bones, hypothermia or any other suitable medical condition.
• a user opens the container 18 and removes the backing member 12 with the instructions 14 and first-aid items 16 thereon. The user can then open (i.e. unfold) the backing member 12 and carry out the first-aid procedure.
• each instruction 14 may include one or more textual instruction elements 22 and one or more graphical instruction elements 24.
• the instructions shown at 14a, 14b and 14c each include one textual instruction element 22 and one graphical instruction element 24.
• the instruction shown at 14e in Figure 2b includes one textual instruction element 22 and two graphical textual elements 24.
• the textual and graphical instruction elements 22 and 24 may be positioned on the backing member 12 by any suitable means. For example, they may be printed directly on the backing member 12. Alternatively, for example, they may be printed on one large sheet or on individual sheets, whereby the one or more sheets may be joined to the backing member 2 by means of adhesive, by sewing, or by any other suitable means.
• the instructions 14 are preferably positioned in sequential order, as shown in Figures 2a-2c, with the first instruction shown at 14a at the top, the second instruction shown at 14b immediately subjacent to instruction 14a, the third instruction shown at 14c immediately subjacent to instruction 14b and so on. Also preferably, the instructions include indicia shown at 20 which indicate the order in which the first aid steps are to be carried out.
• the indicium 20 associated with instruction 14a is a 1 , indicating that that is the first first-aid step to be carried out; the indicium 20 associated with instruction 14b is a 2, indicating that that is the second first-aid step to be carried out; the indicium 20 associated with instruction 14c is a 3, indicating that that is the third first-aid step to be carried out.
• the indicia 20 need not be numerical.
• the indicia may, for example, be alphabetical. In yet another embodiment, the indicia may be graphical (e.g. in the form of arrows that lead from one instruction 14 to the next).
• the particular arrangement of the textual and graphical instruction elements changes from instruction 14 to instruction 14, but the instructions 14 are still arranged generally in sequence. That is, the instruction 14b is positioned subjacent to instruction 14a; instruction 14c is subjacent to instruction 14c and so on.
• the arrangement of the instructions 14 generally provides to the user an indication of the order of the first-aid steps to be carried out.
• the instructions 14 are arranged in some order, such as the vertical arrangement shown in Figures 2a-2c and Figure 3, it is optionally possible to omit the indicia 20 and to rely solely on the arrangement of the instructions itself to indicate to the user the order in which the first-aid steps are to be carried out. It is alternatively possible to have the instructions 14 arranged in any desired arrangement and to rely on the indicia 20 to indicate to the user the intended order in which the first-aid steps are to be carried out.
• each first-aid item 16 is positioned in association with at least one of the instructions 14.
• each instruction 14 has a first- aid item 16 associated with it.
• one or more of the instructions 14 may not have any first-aid item associated therewith.
• an instruction such as, for example, instruction 14f, may have a plurality of first-aid items 16 positioned in association with it.
• Each first-aid item 16 may be held in a pocket 26 on the backing member 12.
• the pocket 26 may be formed by any suitable means.
• the pocket 26 is closable (e.g. via a flap, or via a plastic zipper as shown) to ensure that the first-aid item 16 contained therein does not fall out.
• the first-aid item 16 can be seen through the wall of the pocket 26.
• the first-aid items 16 may be held on the backing member 12 by any other suitable means.
• the user can start with the first instruction shown at 14a. In the example shown in Figure 2a, it can be seen that the first instruction 14a instructs the user to place a glove on each hand.
• the first-aid item 16 positioned in association with that instruction 14a is a pair of gloves.
• the second instruction 14b instructs the user to apply a disinfectant to the affected area if there is dirt in the wound, using the disinfectant that is the first-aid item 16 positioned in association with the second instruction.
• the third instruction 14c instructs the user to apply an antibiotic ointment to the affected area, using the antibiotic ointment that is the first-aid item 16 positioned in association with the third instruction. While the antibiotic ointment and the disinfectant do appear different, it is possible that someone could have gotten one confused with the other when carrying out a first-aid procedure using a certain type of first-aid kit of the prior art.
• the instruction 14f has two first-aid items 16 associated with it however these first-aid items 16 are both involved in the carrying out of the instruction 14f.
• the set of instructions 14 may contain a decision instruction which involves a decision on the part of the user, wherein the decision has multiple possible outcomes.
• the decision instruction 14 may branch to different subsequent instructions in the set depending on the different outcomes of the decision.
• the instruction 14d in Figure 2b includes a decision instruction which is: If bleeding persists (after having applied a bandage), the user is to proceed to instruction 14e. Without it being explicitly stated it will be understood that if bleeding does not persist, the user need not proceed to instruction 14e in which case there are no further steps to the first- aid procedure.
• the user has fewer tasks to perform as compared to some first-aid kits of the prior art. For example, the user, when using the kit 10, does not need to search through a container full of items for a particular item that is needed for a particular step. Furthermore, the user is not faced with the task of deciding which of several items that look similar is the correct one that was intended to be used at a given step in the instructions. By removing the need to perform such tasks the stress on the user of carrying out a first-aid procedure may be reduced, thereby increasing the likelihood of the procedure being carried out correctly.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Accommodation For Nursing Or Treatment Tables (AREA)

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Citations (4)

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• 2013
  • 2013-02-14 WO PCT/CA2013/000130 patent/WO2013120182A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2013-02-14 CA CA2864920A patent/CA2864920C/fr active Active
  • 2013-02-14 US US14/379,454 patent/US9730845B2/en active Active
• 2017
  • 2017-08-14 US US15/676,702 patent/US20170340492A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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